Meetings
Discussion at the staff table was rife with rumours about the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. No one knew who the teacher was, if they were male or female, where they were trained, they only knew that Dumbledore trusted them and had known them most of their life. Snape sat at one end of the table, he was silently fuming at being passed over yet again for the position, he coveted that position, yet Dumbledore was determined to keep him as Potions Master. He did enjoy his work, he was one of the best in Europe, even the world, but he wanted badly to teach DADA.
Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall were pensive, out of the last four teachers in the position only one had proved to be a success, only leaving due to an unfortunate incident. McGonagall was worried, each year the teacher seemed to have it in for the Gryffindor students, especially Harry Potter and she certainly did not approve last year of the teacher casting Imperious curses on her students or any student in the school. Although she was proud that the only one to throw it off was one of her students.
The doors to the Great Hall sounded out as they opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling through his glasses as he walked to the staff table. A smaller person followed behind him, their person covered in a dark gray cloak, obscuring any identifying features including their face. It was hard to tell anything about them.
"Good Evening, my friends." Dumbledore spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary, "Its been a pleasant day hasn't it?"
McGonagall thought to herself, "He is enjoying this, he knows we all want to know who the new teacher is. He's dragging this out acting as if its just another day"
Dumbledore managed to fill a few more minutes with idle chitchat, infuriating the staff to the point where Professor Snape broke, "Would you just introduce the new teacher, please?"
After the outburst, he looked a little sheepish at having spoken like that, but Dumbledore quickly drew the attention away from him, "I believe it is time to introduce my companion here, our new DADA teacher, Remus Lupin"
As he said this, the man removed his hood, revealing a head of graying hair and the features of Remus Lupin who looked a great deal better than the last time anyone saw him. He wasn't as pale but was rather thin. He nodded his greetings to the assembled professors.
Snape was fuming, "The werewolf, you brought the werewolf back into the school to teach again?"
Dumbledore rounded on him, "Do not question my judgment, Professor, Remus Lupin is the best candidate for the job period, and no one will drive him out this year. Yes he is a werewolf, but he takes the wolfsbane potion and isolates himself from the population at his transformation. The incident will not occur again."
Snape looked furious but accepted the headmasters decision. McGonagall looked a bit shocked, but rose and offered her hand to her former pupil, "Welcome back, Remus, it is good to see you again"
Gratefully, Remus shook her hand, thanking her for her welcome. This broke the tension in the room, with the other professors save Snape offering their welcomes, luck and congratulations to him.
Dumbledore looked on in satisfaction as a old friend was welcomed back into the fold.
--
The day of the meeting to decide the new prefects from the incoming fifth year had arrived, each house had to select two new prefects. This was a formal meeting conducted in a traditional manner, each house could state their choices for prefect and the professors could object and respond but eventually it came down to the headmaster's decision. Dumbledore was not looking forward to what he had to do in this meeting.
After only minor comments from Snape about the incompetence of Hufflepuffs and arrogance of Ravenclaws, the prefects of the two houses were approved. Unfortunately, that was the only easy part of the meeting, for then on, each prefect became a fight, for the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin it came as no surprise that McGonagall and Snape were on opposite sides of the arguments, and frequently it appear Snape was on his own, in fact all the time. Snape forced through his first prefect, but when it came to his second prefect, the arguments became more heated.
"The second prefect from House Slytherin shall be Draco Malfoy" Snape spoke in a tone that suggested no one could argue with this statement.
The stern and often impassive face of McGonagall took on a look of disgust at this statement, "I object to the appointment of Draco Malfoy"
"What are the reasons for your objections, Professor?" Dumbledore asked in a formal tone, knowing that these last few prefects were going to be the cause of headaches for many of them.
"Mr. Malfoy has repeated shown he has little respect for any students other than his own close circle, he attitude is condescending at best. His attitudes to those not of 'pureblood' are downright abrasive and many of his comments are abusive and hurtful. Not mention the dubious character of the boys father and his associates. And his constant baiting of Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley." the professor had obviously expected this to come up, her tone dripped with sarcasm at the mention of pureblood, her voice going quite sinister at the mention of the boys father.
Around the table, looks of concentration and deliberation covered the faces of the professors, they all knew of Draco's tendencies and attitudes but he had been careful not to flagrantly display them in front of the staff, but they still knew what went on.
"That does not change the fact that Malfoy is a leader in the house Slytherin, he is looked to for leadership not only from his own year and below but from the higher years. His attitudes towards muggleborns may not be to your liking, Professor, but he does raise interesting points and if those muggleborns are not thick-skinned enough to withstand some harmless ribbing from a fellow student, then maybe they should run home to their parents and hide. Malfoy has above average grades in many subjects and his potions marks are frequently among the highest in the year, he has the ability to make quick judgments and can control other students. His father should not become a factor in this decision and as to his 'baiting' of the Gryffindors, well to a large extent they bring it on themselves, Potter and his little fan club. I submit that he is a valid candidate for prefect." Snape response was typical Slytherin pureblood arrogance, anger could be seen in McGonagall and Lupin's eyes.
"Professor Snape, I should think you should not encourage your house's current attitudes towards those not of pureblood as you call it, as a Professor you should encourage tolerance" McGonagall was fighting not to explode in rage as she spoke.
"I am here to teach potions, Professor, not to educate on the right and wrong of society."
"You are here to teach them how they should fit into society and help to improve it as well as potions."
Seeing that a huge argument was in the brewing, Dumbledore decided to end it now, "Draco Malfoy will be made a prefect, his grades are acceptable and he is a leader in his house. However, Professor Snape, I will ask you to speak to young Malfoy about his less than desirable attitudes and behaviours, if he does not improve I will revoke his status."
Snape looked pleased at more or less getting his way with his own prefects, a sneer was sent to the head of Gryffindor, who merely looked back at him as if he were a bug waiting to be crushed under her boot heel.
"Moving on to the Gryffindor prefects" Dumbledore was anxious to get this meeting over with before certain individuals began to loose their admirable restraint.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and in a clear voice stated that her choice for her first prefect was Hermione Granger. This elicited no shocks in the room, Ms. Granger's academic talents were known as was her adherence to the rules. She was for most of the faculty a dream student, that posed no problems. However one faculty member was not happy with this.
"I object to the appointment of Ms. Granger" the tone of voice unmistakable condescending and mocking of the idea of Granger being a prefect.
Dumbledore appeared amused by this objection, "What are the reasons for your objection, Professor Snape?"
Everyone at the table fixed their eyes on Snape, curious as to why he objected. If this scrutiny bothered Snape it did not show, he appeared as he always did, unflappable.
"Ms. Granger is a good student, however she is a muggleborn and does not know all of the intricacies of wizarding society. This is unacceptable in a prefect, all of the other prefects understand how society works. I draw you attention to the S.P.E.W campaign she has organised for house-elfs, this goes against the way in which our society works, it maybe how her muggle society works, but not here. Also she has an unhealthy association with the Potter boy and his sidekick. I believe making her a prefect would undoubtedly allow them undue influence over other students through her." He spoke, he voice dripping with contempt, spitting out the words muggle and Potter like they burned him to say.
"Professor Snape, I find your reasons totally unacceptable, your attitudes are showing through, no wonder Malfoy has cultivated such an opinion of muggleborns after hearing you, also her campaign for the house-elfs shows determination and self-motivation, both important qualities in a prefect. Her grades are the best in her year and her association with Mr. Potter should not be taken into account, much like you said for Mr. Malfoy and his father." McGonagall looked at him, pride showing at her use of his own argument against him.
Before Snape could even open his mouth to respond, Dumbledore said, "Ms. Granger will be made a prefect. Her service to the school and the ideals of a fair society are qualities which should be encouraged and rewarded." The tone in his voice showed no further discussion would take place on the subject.
Looking pleased at getting her way with her first prefect, McGonagall in the same tone of voice as the first stated that Harry Potter was her choice for her second prefect. This drew some gasps of surprise from the assembled professors, only Lupin, McGonagall and Dumbledore looked unphased. Snape looked ready to explode. Harry was a good student, not in the same class as Ms. Granger, although to be fair he didn't work anywhere near as hard and for the amount of work he was able to do with everything that had happened to him over the last few years, his marks were quite remarkable. He was also liked by most professors, but had a slight tendency to break the rules and do things that while right were inconvenient and troublesome for others.
"I object" Snape voiced rung out, not bothering with formality, he practically shouted his objections.
Dumbledore looked at him, he let nothing slip, he expected Snape to object, if fact, he had counted on it, "What are your objections, Professor?"
A sneer appeared on his face, looking as if it were his face's natural position, "Mr. Potter is a disruptive influence in the school as has been proven by his record. He frequently flaunts school rules, he is constantly receiving detentions and sneaking around the school. He has even less regard for the workings of our society than Ms. Granger does. He thinks because he is famous he can get away with things and things will be handed to him. Even in his first year, the rules of the school were bent to allow him to play quidditch for the Gryffindor team. And these are only the start of the objections, I could go on for hours with more but these are the main points."
"I would hardly class Mr. Potter as a disruptive influence, yes he has broken school rules, but a lot of the time with good reason. Also if you are referring to the times in second and fourth year about disruption, I think that you should realise that the other students ostracized him, not the other way around. Yes he doesn't know about our society, but would you if you didn't know about our world till you were eleven." McGonagall was livid, the outrageous slander of not one, but now two of her students.
For the first time, Lupin spoke, his voice quiet, but strong, "Harry does not flaunt his fame, in fact he hates it, he once told me this and has spoken to his friends of it often. He hates that everyone seems to know him and wants to know him. He just wants to be normal. And as for quidditch, you know yourself Snape that if he had been in your house, you would have bent the rules for him as well."
"Be that as it may, Professor Lupin", the term choked him as he said it, "Potter is still an unacceptable candidate for a prefect, it doesn't matter how he is disruptive, the fact remains he is, and I also do not believe that he can continue to keep up with his work with prefect duties, not that he really can just now anyway."
Lupin and McGonagall were outraged, both appeared ready to respond, when Dumbledore spoke, "I do not think that slandering Mr. Potter's ability to work will help here, Professor Snape, I would have every confidence that Harry would be able to continue his studies as he does now."
Professors McGonagall and Lupin looked pleased, Snape looked dejected, or as dejected as his face would go.
"However, I do not think that Mr. Potter should be made a prefect at this time. I would like to hear your alternate suggestions for the second Gryffindor prefect, Professor McGonagall, and there will be no objections to this one, this subject will be closed." Dumbledore said this like it was nothing, like he was just stating it was a nice day outside.
McGonagall and Lupin slumped visibly in their seats, never had they thought that Dumbledore would side with Snape against Harry, Snape on the other hand looked like he could fly, he had won, not only that but Dumbledore had sided against his favourite staff and student.
"In that case, I suggest Ronald Weasley as prefect, in lieu of Mr. Potter." McGonagall's voice was monotone, she was not happy with this turn in events.
"Mr. Weasley shall be appointed as Gryffindor's second prefect." Dumbledore stated with finality, and the meeting broke up.
--
Dumbledore called Professors Lupin, Flitwick and Snape to his office for a meeting, the three of them had met outside the gargoyle leading to his office. None of them were sure as to what it was that involved the three of them. The expressions on their faces were impassive, each man attempting to work out what the headmaster had called them for.
The door to his office swung open as they reached it, "Come in, gentlemen."
The three men entered the office, the office never seemed to detract from the idea that Dumbledore was a bit mad, everyone acknowledged he was powerful, brilliant, but at the same time, a lot of people believed him to be a wee bit off his rocker. However no one doubted his abilities or his loyalty. He motioned to them to take a seat, that damned twinkling in his eye that people commented on. It infuriated people, he always seemed to know that little bit more, that little secret was always up his sleeve. There were times people just wanted to poke his eyes out just to get away from that twinkling.
"I'm sure you are wondering why I have called you here tonight" he said, in a somewhat serious tone.
Flitwick and Lupin could not hold themselves from giving a small laugh, he sounded just like the detectives in the muggle television shows and books, Snape merely snorted. Dumbledore smiled, realising his unintentional joke, but glad it broke the tension in the room a little.
"I wish to discuss the idea of setting up a new dueling club within the school, and would like your opinions and suggestions."
Flitwick looked immensely pleased, as a former dueling champion he had many suggestions and ideas. Lupin looked pensive, dueling was serious business, and it wasn't something everyone could do safely. Snape merely sat there, memories played in his head of the disastrous club that had been setup a few years back with that idiot Lockhart.
Snape was the first to break the silence, "Who would run this venture? Need I remind you of that idiot Lockhart?"
"No, you do not need to remind me, I may be old but I still have a fairly good grasp on things." As he spoke, Snape had the grace to look a bit ashamed at the insinuation the headmaster was getting forgetful, "I have thought on this matter and in these current times, it is important the students learn to defend themselves, and I have also decided that the three of you each have the experience and knowledge to co-operate and run this club successfully."
At this statement, all three professors sat up a little bit straighter, a little bit prouder. It was one thing to work in Hogwarts under Dumbledore, but to receive praise like that from the man himself was special.
"I think the club should only be only be open to fourth years and above, and also the students split according to their abilities. The students will not learn from being constantly being defeated by vastly superior opponents, nor will their opponents, if a person faces someone slightly better than them they can improve and this allows them to build proper confidence and not get demoralised." Flitwick spoke, his voice going higher and quicker as he was getting more and more excited.
Lupin spoke next, " A tournament would also be a good idea, sometime towards the end of each term and also teaching them how to duel in teams would be a great advantage to any fight against the dark forces."
"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Lupin about the teams, You-know-who and his followers are not known for teamwork. If the students learn to co-operate and watch each others backs then their chances of survival will increase if they ever have to face an enemy. I would also recommend that the club meets twice during the week and also once for a longer period at the weekend." Snape joined the discussion.
"I can see you all have your ideas and suggestions, I will leave the organisation up to yourselves and if you need anything just come and speak to me." Dumbledore interrupted them.
With that statement, the three professors rose, bid their goodbye to the headmaster and left. Dumbledore listened to their animated conversation until they were out of earshot, pondering the likelihood of three such different characters managing to get along so well. The times ahead called for them to draw together, hopefully this was the start.
--
Dumbledore had called another staff meeting, not an unusual occurrence during the holidays, a lot of decisions had to be made and planning done, but this meeting was to do with Harry and Voldemort. The subject was touchy, no one really wanted to discuss it but they had to. Remus entered the office of the headmaster last and took his seat. Around the round in various chairs and perches he saw most of the staff of the school. Professor McGonagall sat in her chair, very prim and proper, looking towards the headmaster waiting for him to start. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and a couple of other professors sat nearer the back of the room. Professor Snape leaned against a wall, his dark cloak billowed around him, looking disdainfully at the assembled crowd. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, a smile on his face, looking to the world as though he didn't have any worries or cares. Remus knew it was an act, one he himself used quite often.
"Good morning, everyone. I trust you all slept well" Dumbledore greeted them.
Murmurs of agreement and greeting came forth from the group.
"I think you all know what you are here to discuss, the rising of Voldemort and young Harry." Dumbledore's voice was unusually grave, the twinkling in his eye gone. "You all understand that after the third task, Voldemort was resurrected, using Harry's blood among other things. He has been quietly marshalling his forces, small strikes to get supplies, nothing overt or daring. Most of the knowledge I have has come from a reliable source."
Remus glanced at Snape, he knew the source was Snape, but few of the other professors did.
"One thing that is a constant in Voldemort's plans is that he needs to eliminate Harry, he also needs to eliminate the school, but his first priority is to kill Harry. Harry has defeated him, escaped him and thwarted him at almost every turn. He fears what Harry could do if he was ever trained to be a full wizard and I fully expect attempts on Harry and Hogwarts to come this year and subsequently until he succeeds or is defeated."
To say the professors were shocked would be lying, they expected this but even so, having it spelled out in plain clear terms was unnerving. The professors shifted in their seats, Snape drew himself up a bit more, his eyes darting around the room, watching the reactions, he was somewhat pleased that no one was panicking.
"I expect that even here at Hogwarts, Harry will come under attack and for that reason we must keep a close eye on him, closer than we normally would. This is one of the reasons I did not allow Harry to be made a prefect."
Lupin interrupted him here, "You didn't allow Harry to become a prefect because of an attack that may or may not come. Harry knows his parents were prefects, although he never admitted to wanting to be a prefect, any orphan aspires to following in their parents footsteps. It draws them nearer to them, as if he were making them proud. To deny him the chance because of something he cannot control is blatantly unfair, especially when he was a first choice for prefect." He paused unsure of how his outburst would be received.
He looked around, some of the faces were shocked at his outburst, mainly Flitwick and Sprout, others showed understanding McGonagall and strangely Snape. Dumbledore sat there impassive just looking at him. Remus started to attempt to apologise from his interruption, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"There is no need to apologise, Remus, I understand what you are saying and am ashamed to admit I did not think of it quite in those terms. I forget the bond between an orphan and his parents memory, although I still stand by my decision not to make him a prefect. There were other reasons, but I prefer not to divulge them at present. What we need to decide is how to keep him safe. We need to keep an eye on him. A prefect has too much freedom and their duties require them to go around the castle by themselves often, this was too much risk and makes him too easy a target. Any suggestions or comments?"
"Are you allowing him to stay on the quidditch team?" Remus asked this tentatively.
"I have not decided this yet, I wanted to wait for input on the matter"
"I don't think you should remove him from the team. Not just for his sake, but for his houses morale. Although mainly for his sake, flying allows him to be free and happy, away from the worries of Voldemort. We can't take that away from him and few people would match him on a broom so he could escape and practices for all teams could be supervised, masking our watching of him." Remus answered, trying to stress the importance of allowing him to continue. McGonagall and Sprout appeared to agree with him, most of the other professors remained neutral.
Dumbledore nodded to him, agreeing, "It will make the practices safer for everyone if they are watched by staff."
"We could have an auror who is an inconspicuous animagus follow him." McGonagall suggested.
Dumbledore shook his head, "Too easy to loose, too hard to find someone totally trustworthy."
"We could tie him to a chair a sit him in an office with a teacher when he is not supposed to be anywhere" Snape sarcastically through out his suggestion.
The assembled faculty turned and glowered at him. He sneered back.
"I do not think we need to be quite that extreme Severus, although it would eliminate any chances of him running off."
The group chuckled at the headmaster's comment, although the tone of the meeting remained grim.
"I think you misunderstand me when I say watch him. I have setup new wards on the house towers so that only staff and members of the house can enter, these will also bar animagi not authorised to be there. After he is in the tower, I am confident he is safe, as he will be when he is in groups and classes. My worries stem from the times where the students are free to do what they want, Harry has a tendency, more than most to roam around the castle, frequently to Hogsmeade although he doesn't realise that I know this. What we need is a method to keep him occupied."
"Well I do know that his quidditch team is talking about having practices in the evenings right after the meal, so there will be three nights a week where for a couple of hours he is occupied. And also for a morning at the weekends" McGonagall said.
"There is the dueling club, which will be meeting three times a week for the two hours before curfew and for three hours on a Saturday evening." Snape interjected.
"Valid points, it is good that much of this surveillance will be masked due to his proximity to other students, however there is still a large amount of time he is alone and I do not consider Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley adequate protection, capable though they maybe."
For several more minutes, ideas were discussed, discarded then discussed and discarded again.
Finally Lupin said, "Why not have him assist with teaching a class?"
The group turned to the quiet werewolf, they looked at him like he was mad. Then that damned twinkling in Dumbledore's eyes started.
"Please continue, Remus"
"What I mean is, we could get him to become a teaching assistant like they have in muggle universities, they help teach the classes, mark class work and tests, organise lessons. Its like a junior teacher. We know that marking takes a long time, so we could fill up time by having him mark work for the classes he helps in and he could also help with planning those lessons. We can easily get this to take up as much time as we need but at the same time make it useful work not just for him, but for the us as well."
"I think you have a suggestion for who you would like him to work with, don't you Remus?" Dumbledore asked, slightly stressing the name.
"I do. I would suggest that Harry works with me. No offence to the rest of you, but he will trust me more, I knew his parents and have worked with him before teaching him the Patronus. Also he has a flair for DADA, he can do that work and has more practical experience in it that any other student in the school. I would suggest that we let him help teach the first year students, the work is straightforward and has scope for expansion without getting too advanced. This would mean he helps teach six classes a week, with marking an preparation for those classes."
Dumbledore could be seen nodding, he seemed to approve of this idea, but wasn't ready to commit quite yet. He looked to the other professors for their opinions.
"I would be worried about his workload, if he does this, when will he do his work outside of class? I do not wish to see him suffer while we try to protect him" McGonagall asked.
"I can encourage Harry to do his work while in my office, the quiet and isolated environment may even help him to concentrate on his studies rather than get distracted. I will have a talk with him, drop a few careful hints and pointers as to what his parents would want him to do. I remember my days trying to work in the common room, it wasn't always easy and it can't be easy to Harry who isn't natural studious and just wants to fit in." Remus answered McGonagall.
"This is favouritism, pure and simple. Why should Potter be given special perks? A maniac may be after him, but why should we have him teach a class? How will this look to other students? They will think we favour Potter above them. And they would probably be right to think it. It looks like a reward for him." Snape said quickly.
Dumbledore answered this, "I don't recall Remus mentioning any perks in there, I heard him describe a lot of work and time but few perks. He didn't mention giving house points for doing this, or receiving any special recognition. Also Mr. Potter would not be able to award or remove points from a house and would not have the privileges that a prefect does. As to why it would be a good idea for him to assist in teaching, well first off you are always concerned about his so-called fame, have you considered that by constant exposure to him, the new intake will not hold him in the famous regard but merely as a fellow student and sometimes teacher. Surely you can see the benefits there. They will think we favour him to begin with, but do you think after seeing the work he has to put in with little reward, will they think that? I doubt it very much, and Remus is right, he does have a flair for the subject and he does have more experience than any other student in fighting the darkness. Few adults can conjure a Patronus, yet he is a child and can do it. That speaks to his competence. Also he will be required to do a lot of preparation ahead of these classes, including a lot of bookwork, which is not his strong point as I'm sure you know."
Snape looked less put out by the idea now, almost pleased that it would so much work and no reward. Also to reduce the students starry-eyed view of him when they arrive would be of even greater benefit. He still thought it smacked a bit of favouritism, but the workload would force Potter to work hard and earn respect, like everyone else. He nodded his reluctant agreement to the suggestion, making mental note to encourage his first years to write as much as possible for their DADA work, just to make it that bit harder. The other professors nodded their assent as well, not quite understanding the little glint in Snape's eyes, unsure as to what he was thinking.
Then Remus realised something, "What if Harry does not want to do this when we ask him? Should we have an alternate idea?"
Dumbledore looked at him, a strange look on his face, "Harry will be assisting you with the first year course, have no doubts about it."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because if he tries to refuse or does a poor job, I will remove him from his quidditch team and completely ground him. He will be put to work under Madame Pince in the library from then on." Dumbledore's voice was totally devoid of emotions, his eyes had no twinkling.
The professors looked at him, realising the seriousness and determination to keep Harry safe, but at the same time wondering about how this course of events would affect him.
Discussion at the staff table was rife with rumours about the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. No one knew who the teacher was, if they were male or female, where they were trained, they only knew that Dumbledore trusted them and had known them most of their life. Snape sat at one end of the table, he was silently fuming at being passed over yet again for the position, he coveted that position, yet Dumbledore was determined to keep him as Potions Master. He did enjoy his work, he was one of the best in Europe, even the world, but he wanted badly to teach DADA.
Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall were pensive, out of the last four teachers in the position only one had proved to be a success, only leaving due to an unfortunate incident. McGonagall was worried, each year the teacher seemed to have it in for the Gryffindor students, especially Harry Potter and she certainly did not approve last year of the teacher casting Imperious curses on her students or any student in the school. Although she was proud that the only one to throw it off was one of her students.
The doors to the Great Hall sounded out as they opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling through his glasses as he walked to the staff table. A smaller person followed behind him, their person covered in a dark gray cloak, obscuring any identifying features including their face. It was hard to tell anything about them.
"Good Evening, my friends." Dumbledore spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary, "Its been a pleasant day hasn't it?"
McGonagall thought to herself, "He is enjoying this, he knows we all want to know who the new teacher is. He's dragging this out acting as if its just another day"
Dumbledore managed to fill a few more minutes with idle chitchat, infuriating the staff to the point where Professor Snape broke, "Would you just introduce the new teacher, please?"
After the outburst, he looked a little sheepish at having spoken like that, but Dumbledore quickly drew the attention away from him, "I believe it is time to introduce my companion here, our new DADA teacher, Remus Lupin"
As he said this, the man removed his hood, revealing a head of graying hair and the features of Remus Lupin who looked a great deal better than the last time anyone saw him. He wasn't as pale but was rather thin. He nodded his greetings to the assembled professors.
Snape was fuming, "The werewolf, you brought the werewolf back into the school to teach again?"
Dumbledore rounded on him, "Do not question my judgment, Professor, Remus Lupin is the best candidate for the job period, and no one will drive him out this year. Yes he is a werewolf, but he takes the wolfsbane potion and isolates himself from the population at his transformation. The incident will not occur again."
Snape looked furious but accepted the headmasters decision. McGonagall looked a bit shocked, but rose and offered her hand to her former pupil, "Welcome back, Remus, it is good to see you again"
Gratefully, Remus shook her hand, thanking her for her welcome. This broke the tension in the room, with the other professors save Snape offering their welcomes, luck and congratulations to him.
Dumbledore looked on in satisfaction as a old friend was welcomed back into the fold.
--
The day of the meeting to decide the new prefects from the incoming fifth year had arrived, each house had to select two new prefects. This was a formal meeting conducted in a traditional manner, each house could state their choices for prefect and the professors could object and respond but eventually it came down to the headmaster's decision. Dumbledore was not looking forward to what he had to do in this meeting.
After only minor comments from Snape about the incompetence of Hufflepuffs and arrogance of Ravenclaws, the prefects of the two houses were approved. Unfortunately, that was the only easy part of the meeting, for then on, each prefect became a fight, for the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin it came as no surprise that McGonagall and Snape were on opposite sides of the arguments, and frequently it appear Snape was on his own, in fact all the time. Snape forced through his first prefect, but when it came to his second prefect, the arguments became more heated.
"The second prefect from House Slytherin shall be Draco Malfoy" Snape spoke in a tone that suggested no one could argue with this statement.
The stern and often impassive face of McGonagall took on a look of disgust at this statement, "I object to the appointment of Draco Malfoy"
"What are the reasons for your objections, Professor?" Dumbledore asked in a formal tone, knowing that these last few prefects were going to be the cause of headaches for many of them.
"Mr. Malfoy has repeated shown he has little respect for any students other than his own close circle, he attitude is condescending at best. His attitudes to those not of 'pureblood' are downright abrasive and many of his comments are abusive and hurtful. Not mention the dubious character of the boys father and his associates. And his constant baiting of Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley." the professor had obviously expected this to come up, her tone dripped with sarcasm at the mention of pureblood, her voice going quite sinister at the mention of the boys father.
Around the table, looks of concentration and deliberation covered the faces of the professors, they all knew of Draco's tendencies and attitudes but he had been careful not to flagrantly display them in front of the staff, but they still knew what went on.
"That does not change the fact that Malfoy is a leader in the house Slytherin, he is looked to for leadership not only from his own year and below but from the higher years. His attitudes towards muggleborns may not be to your liking, Professor, but he does raise interesting points and if those muggleborns are not thick-skinned enough to withstand some harmless ribbing from a fellow student, then maybe they should run home to their parents and hide. Malfoy has above average grades in many subjects and his potions marks are frequently among the highest in the year, he has the ability to make quick judgments and can control other students. His father should not become a factor in this decision and as to his 'baiting' of the Gryffindors, well to a large extent they bring it on themselves, Potter and his little fan club. I submit that he is a valid candidate for prefect." Snape response was typical Slytherin pureblood arrogance, anger could be seen in McGonagall and Lupin's eyes.
"Professor Snape, I should think you should not encourage your house's current attitudes towards those not of pureblood as you call it, as a Professor you should encourage tolerance" McGonagall was fighting not to explode in rage as she spoke.
"I am here to teach potions, Professor, not to educate on the right and wrong of society."
"You are here to teach them how they should fit into society and help to improve it as well as potions."
Seeing that a huge argument was in the brewing, Dumbledore decided to end it now, "Draco Malfoy will be made a prefect, his grades are acceptable and he is a leader in his house. However, Professor Snape, I will ask you to speak to young Malfoy about his less than desirable attitudes and behaviours, if he does not improve I will revoke his status."
Snape looked pleased at more or less getting his way with his own prefects, a sneer was sent to the head of Gryffindor, who merely looked back at him as if he were a bug waiting to be crushed under her boot heel.
"Moving on to the Gryffindor prefects" Dumbledore was anxious to get this meeting over with before certain individuals began to loose their admirable restraint.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and in a clear voice stated that her choice for her first prefect was Hermione Granger. This elicited no shocks in the room, Ms. Granger's academic talents were known as was her adherence to the rules. She was for most of the faculty a dream student, that posed no problems. However one faculty member was not happy with this.
"I object to the appointment of Ms. Granger" the tone of voice unmistakable condescending and mocking of the idea of Granger being a prefect.
Dumbledore appeared amused by this objection, "What are the reasons for your objection, Professor Snape?"
Everyone at the table fixed their eyes on Snape, curious as to why he objected. If this scrutiny bothered Snape it did not show, he appeared as he always did, unflappable.
"Ms. Granger is a good student, however she is a muggleborn and does not know all of the intricacies of wizarding society. This is unacceptable in a prefect, all of the other prefects understand how society works. I draw you attention to the S.P.E.W campaign she has organised for house-elfs, this goes against the way in which our society works, it maybe how her muggle society works, but not here. Also she has an unhealthy association with the Potter boy and his sidekick. I believe making her a prefect would undoubtedly allow them undue influence over other students through her." He spoke, he voice dripping with contempt, spitting out the words muggle and Potter like they burned him to say.
"Professor Snape, I find your reasons totally unacceptable, your attitudes are showing through, no wonder Malfoy has cultivated such an opinion of muggleborns after hearing you, also her campaign for the house-elfs shows determination and self-motivation, both important qualities in a prefect. Her grades are the best in her year and her association with Mr. Potter should not be taken into account, much like you said for Mr. Malfoy and his father." McGonagall looked at him, pride showing at her use of his own argument against him.
Before Snape could even open his mouth to respond, Dumbledore said, "Ms. Granger will be made a prefect. Her service to the school and the ideals of a fair society are qualities which should be encouraged and rewarded." The tone in his voice showed no further discussion would take place on the subject.
Looking pleased at getting her way with her first prefect, McGonagall in the same tone of voice as the first stated that Harry Potter was her choice for her second prefect. This drew some gasps of surprise from the assembled professors, only Lupin, McGonagall and Dumbledore looked unphased. Snape looked ready to explode. Harry was a good student, not in the same class as Ms. Granger, although to be fair he didn't work anywhere near as hard and for the amount of work he was able to do with everything that had happened to him over the last few years, his marks were quite remarkable. He was also liked by most professors, but had a slight tendency to break the rules and do things that while right were inconvenient and troublesome for others.
"I object" Snape voiced rung out, not bothering with formality, he practically shouted his objections.
Dumbledore looked at him, he let nothing slip, he expected Snape to object, if fact, he had counted on it, "What are your objections, Professor?"
A sneer appeared on his face, looking as if it were his face's natural position, "Mr. Potter is a disruptive influence in the school as has been proven by his record. He frequently flaunts school rules, he is constantly receiving detentions and sneaking around the school. He has even less regard for the workings of our society than Ms. Granger does. He thinks because he is famous he can get away with things and things will be handed to him. Even in his first year, the rules of the school were bent to allow him to play quidditch for the Gryffindor team. And these are only the start of the objections, I could go on for hours with more but these are the main points."
"I would hardly class Mr. Potter as a disruptive influence, yes he has broken school rules, but a lot of the time with good reason. Also if you are referring to the times in second and fourth year about disruption, I think that you should realise that the other students ostracized him, not the other way around. Yes he doesn't know about our society, but would you if you didn't know about our world till you were eleven." McGonagall was livid, the outrageous slander of not one, but now two of her students.
For the first time, Lupin spoke, his voice quiet, but strong, "Harry does not flaunt his fame, in fact he hates it, he once told me this and has spoken to his friends of it often. He hates that everyone seems to know him and wants to know him. He just wants to be normal. And as for quidditch, you know yourself Snape that if he had been in your house, you would have bent the rules for him as well."
"Be that as it may, Professor Lupin", the term choked him as he said it, "Potter is still an unacceptable candidate for a prefect, it doesn't matter how he is disruptive, the fact remains he is, and I also do not believe that he can continue to keep up with his work with prefect duties, not that he really can just now anyway."
Lupin and McGonagall were outraged, both appeared ready to respond, when Dumbledore spoke, "I do not think that slandering Mr. Potter's ability to work will help here, Professor Snape, I would have every confidence that Harry would be able to continue his studies as he does now."
Professors McGonagall and Lupin looked pleased, Snape looked dejected, or as dejected as his face would go.
"However, I do not think that Mr. Potter should be made a prefect at this time. I would like to hear your alternate suggestions for the second Gryffindor prefect, Professor McGonagall, and there will be no objections to this one, this subject will be closed." Dumbledore said this like it was nothing, like he was just stating it was a nice day outside.
McGonagall and Lupin slumped visibly in their seats, never had they thought that Dumbledore would side with Snape against Harry, Snape on the other hand looked like he could fly, he had won, not only that but Dumbledore had sided against his favourite staff and student.
"In that case, I suggest Ronald Weasley as prefect, in lieu of Mr. Potter." McGonagall's voice was monotone, she was not happy with this turn in events.
"Mr. Weasley shall be appointed as Gryffindor's second prefect." Dumbledore stated with finality, and the meeting broke up.
--
Dumbledore called Professors Lupin, Flitwick and Snape to his office for a meeting, the three of them had met outside the gargoyle leading to his office. None of them were sure as to what it was that involved the three of them. The expressions on their faces were impassive, each man attempting to work out what the headmaster had called them for.
The door to his office swung open as they reached it, "Come in, gentlemen."
The three men entered the office, the office never seemed to detract from the idea that Dumbledore was a bit mad, everyone acknowledged he was powerful, brilliant, but at the same time, a lot of people believed him to be a wee bit off his rocker. However no one doubted his abilities or his loyalty. He motioned to them to take a seat, that damned twinkling in his eye that people commented on. It infuriated people, he always seemed to know that little bit more, that little secret was always up his sleeve. There were times people just wanted to poke his eyes out just to get away from that twinkling.
"I'm sure you are wondering why I have called you here tonight" he said, in a somewhat serious tone.
Flitwick and Lupin could not hold themselves from giving a small laugh, he sounded just like the detectives in the muggle television shows and books, Snape merely snorted. Dumbledore smiled, realising his unintentional joke, but glad it broke the tension in the room a little.
"I wish to discuss the idea of setting up a new dueling club within the school, and would like your opinions and suggestions."
Flitwick looked immensely pleased, as a former dueling champion he had many suggestions and ideas. Lupin looked pensive, dueling was serious business, and it wasn't something everyone could do safely. Snape merely sat there, memories played in his head of the disastrous club that had been setup a few years back with that idiot Lockhart.
Snape was the first to break the silence, "Who would run this venture? Need I remind you of that idiot Lockhart?"
"No, you do not need to remind me, I may be old but I still have a fairly good grasp on things." As he spoke, Snape had the grace to look a bit ashamed at the insinuation the headmaster was getting forgetful, "I have thought on this matter and in these current times, it is important the students learn to defend themselves, and I have also decided that the three of you each have the experience and knowledge to co-operate and run this club successfully."
At this statement, all three professors sat up a little bit straighter, a little bit prouder. It was one thing to work in Hogwarts under Dumbledore, but to receive praise like that from the man himself was special.
"I think the club should only be only be open to fourth years and above, and also the students split according to their abilities. The students will not learn from being constantly being defeated by vastly superior opponents, nor will their opponents, if a person faces someone slightly better than them they can improve and this allows them to build proper confidence and not get demoralised." Flitwick spoke, his voice going higher and quicker as he was getting more and more excited.
Lupin spoke next, " A tournament would also be a good idea, sometime towards the end of each term and also teaching them how to duel in teams would be a great advantage to any fight against the dark forces."
"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Lupin about the teams, You-know-who and his followers are not known for teamwork. If the students learn to co-operate and watch each others backs then their chances of survival will increase if they ever have to face an enemy. I would also recommend that the club meets twice during the week and also once for a longer period at the weekend." Snape joined the discussion.
"I can see you all have your ideas and suggestions, I will leave the organisation up to yourselves and if you need anything just come and speak to me." Dumbledore interrupted them.
With that statement, the three professors rose, bid their goodbye to the headmaster and left. Dumbledore listened to their animated conversation until they were out of earshot, pondering the likelihood of three such different characters managing to get along so well. The times ahead called for them to draw together, hopefully this was the start.
--
Dumbledore had called another staff meeting, not an unusual occurrence during the holidays, a lot of decisions had to be made and planning done, but this meeting was to do with Harry and Voldemort. The subject was touchy, no one really wanted to discuss it but they had to. Remus entered the office of the headmaster last and took his seat. Around the round in various chairs and perches he saw most of the staff of the school. Professor McGonagall sat in her chair, very prim and proper, looking towards the headmaster waiting for him to start. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and a couple of other professors sat nearer the back of the room. Professor Snape leaned against a wall, his dark cloak billowed around him, looking disdainfully at the assembled crowd. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, a smile on his face, looking to the world as though he didn't have any worries or cares. Remus knew it was an act, one he himself used quite often.
"Good morning, everyone. I trust you all slept well" Dumbledore greeted them.
Murmurs of agreement and greeting came forth from the group.
"I think you all know what you are here to discuss, the rising of Voldemort and young Harry." Dumbledore's voice was unusually grave, the twinkling in his eye gone. "You all understand that after the third task, Voldemort was resurrected, using Harry's blood among other things. He has been quietly marshalling his forces, small strikes to get supplies, nothing overt or daring. Most of the knowledge I have has come from a reliable source."
Remus glanced at Snape, he knew the source was Snape, but few of the other professors did.
"One thing that is a constant in Voldemort's plans is that he needs to eliminate Harry, he also needs to eliminate the school, but his first priority is to kill Harry. Harry has defeated him, escaped him and thwarted him at almost every turn. He fears what Harry could do if he was ever trained to be a full wizard and I fully expect attempts on Harry and Hogwarts to come this year and subsequently until he succeeds or is defeated."
To say the professors were shocked would be lying, they expected this but even so, having it spelled out in plain clear terms was unnerving. The professors shifted in their seats, Snape drew himself up a bit more, his eyes darting around the room, watching the reactions, he was somewhat pleased that no one was panicking.
"I expect that even here at Hogwarts, Harry will come under attack and for that reason we must keep a close eye on him, closer than we normally would. This is one of the reasons I did not allow Harry to be made a prefect."
Lupin interrupted him here, "You didn't allow Harry to become a prefect because of an attack that may or may not come. Harry knows his parents were prefects, although he never admitted to wanting to be a prefect, any orphan aspires to following in their parents footsteps. It draws them nearer to them, as if he were making them proud. To deny him the chance because of something he cannot control is blatantly unfair, especially when he was a first choice for prefect." He paused unsure of how his outburst would be received.
He looked around, some of the faces were shocked at his outburst, mainly Flitwick and Sprout, others showed understanding McGonagall and strangely Snape. Dumbledore sat there impassive just looking at him. Remus started to attempt to apologise from his interruption, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"There is no need to apologise, Remus, I understand what you are saying and am ashamed to admit I did not think of it quite in those terms. I forget the bond between an orphan and his parents memory, although I still stand by my decision not to make him a prefect. There were other reasons, but I prefer not to divulge them at present. What we need to decide is how to keep him safe. We need to keep an eye on him. A prefect has too much freedom and their duties require them to go around the castle by themselves often, this was too much risk and makes him too easy a target. Any suggestions or comments?"
"Are you allowing him to stay on the quidditch team?" Remus asked this tentatively.
"I have not decided this yet, I wanted to wait for input on the matter"
"I don't think you should remove him from the team. Not just for his sake, but for his houses morale. Although mainly for his sake, flying allows him to be free and happy, away from the worries of Voldemort. We can't take that away from him and few people would match him on a broom so he could escape and practices for all teams could be supervised, masking our watching of him." Remus answered, trying to stress the importance of allowing him to continue. McGonagall and Sprout appeared to agree with him, most of the other professors remained neutral.
Dumbledore nodded to him, agreeing, "It will make the practices safer for everyone if they are watched by staff."
"We could have an auror who is an inconspicuous animagus follow him." McGonagall suggested.
Dumbledore shook his head, "Too easy to loose, too hard to find someone totally trustworthy."
"We could tie him to a chair a sit him in an office with a teacher when he is not supposed to be anywhere" Snape sarcastically through out his suggestion.
The assembled faculty turned and glowered at him. He sneered back.
"I do not think we need to be quite that extreme Severus, although it would eliminate any chances of him running off."
The group chuckled at the headmaster's comment, although the tone of the meeting remained grim.
"I think you misunderstand me when I say watch him. I have setup new wards on the house towers so that only staff and members of the house can enter, these will also bar animagi not authorised to be there. After he is in the tower, I am confident he is safe, as he will be when he is in groups and classes. My worries stem from the times where the students are free to do what they want, Harry has a tendency, more than most to roam around the castle, frequently to Hogsmeade although he doesn't realise that I know this. What we need is a method to keep him occupied."
"Well I do know that his quidditch team is talking about having practices in the evenings right after the meal, so there will be three nights a week where for a couple of hours he is occupied. And also for a morning at the weekends" McGonagall said.
"There is the dueling club, which will be meeting three times a week for the two hours before curfew and for three hours on a Saturday evening." Snape interjected.
"Valid points, it is good that much of this surveillance will be masked due to his proximity to other students, however there is still a large amount of time he is alone and I do not consider Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley adequate protection, capable though they maybe."
For several more minutes, ideas were discussed, discarded then discussed and discarded again.
Finally Lupin said, "Why not have him assist with teaching a class?"
The group turned to the quiet werewolf, they looked at him like he was mad. Then that damned twinkling in Dumbledore's eyes started.
"Please continue, Remus"
"What I mean is, we could get him to become a teaching assistant like they have in muggle universities, they help teach the classes, mark class work and tests, organise lessons. Its like a junior teacher. We know that marking takes a long time, so we could fill up time by having him mark work for the classes he helps in and he could also help with planning those lessons. We can easily get this to take up as much time as we need but at the same time make it useful work not just for him, but for the us as well."
"I think you have a suggestion for who you would like him to work with, don't you Remus?" Dumbledore asked, slightly stressing the name.
"I do. I would suggest that Harry works with me. No offence to the rest of you, but he will trust me more, I knew his parents and have worked with him before teaching him the Patronus. Also he has a flair for DADA, he can do that work and has more practical experience in it that any other student in the school. I would suggest that we let him help teach the first year students, the work is straightforward and has scope for expansion without getting too advanced. This would mean he helps teach six classes a week, with marking an preparation for those classes."
Dumbledore could be seen nodding, he seemed to approve of this idea, but wasn't ready to commit quite yet. He looked to the other professors for their opinions.
"I would be worried about his workload, if he does this, when will he do his work outside of class? I do not wish to see him suffer while we try to protect him" McGonagall asked.
"I can encourage Harry to do his work while in my office, the quiet and isolated environment may even help him to concentrate on his studies rather than get distracted. I will have a talk with him, drop a few careful hints and pointers as to what his parents would want him to do. I remember my days trying to work in the common room, it wasn't always easy and it can't be easy to Harry who isn't natural studious and just wants to fit in." Remus answered McGonagall.
"This is favouritism, pure and simple. Why should Potter be given special perks? A maniac may be after him, but why should we have him teach a class? How will this look to other students? They will think we favour Potter above them. And they would probably be right to think it. It looks like a reward for him." Snape said quickly.
Dumbledore answered this, "I don't recall Remus mentioning any perks in there, I heard him describe a lot of work and time but few perks. He didn't mention giving house points for doing this, or receiving any special recognition. Also Mr. Potter would not be able to award or remove points from a house and would not have the privileges that a prefect does. As to why it would be a good idea for him to assist in teaching, well first off you are always concerned about his so-called fame, have you considered that by constant exposure to him, the new intake will not hold him in the famous regard but merely as a fellow student and sometimes teacher. Surely you can see the benefits there. They will think we favour him to begin with, but do you think after seeing the work he has to put in with little reward, will they think that? I doubt it very much, and Remus is right, he does have a flair for the subject and he does have more experience than any other student in fighting the darkness. Few adults can conjure a Patronus, yet he is a child and can do it. That speaks to his competence. Also he will be required to do a lot of preparation ahead of these classes, including a lot of bookwork, which is not his strong point as I'm sure you know."
Snape looked less put out by the idea now, almost pleased that it would so much work and no reward. Also to reduce the students starry-eyed view of him when they arrive would be of even greater benefit. He still thought it smacked a bit of favouritism, but the workload would force Potter to work hard and earn respect, like everyone else. He nodded his reluctant agreement to the suggestion, making mental note to encourage his first years to write as much as possible for their DADA work, just to make it that bit harder. The other professors nodded their assent as well, not quite understanding the little glint in Snape's eyes, unsure as to what he was thinking.
Then Remus realised something, "What if Harry does not want to do this when we ask him? Should we have an alternate idea?"
Dumbledore looked at him, a strange look on his face, "Harry will be assisting you with the first year course, have no doubts about it."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because if he tries to refuse or does a poor job, I will remove him from his quidditch team and completely ground him. He will be put to work under Madame Pince in the library from then on." Dumbledore's voice was totally devoid of emotions, his eyes had no twinkling.
The professors looked at him, realising the seriousness and determination to keep Harry safe, but at the same time wondering about how this course of events would affect him.
